A Mermaid's Tail
by Cleodora Williams
Summary: A bullied, orphaned girl moves with her older brother and his fiancé from Las Vegas to Gold Coast, Australia, seeking a fresh start and adventure. However, she got a bit more than what she bargained for . . .
1. Chapter 1: The Move

**Dear readers,**

 **This is not your average H2O fanfic. So far, the original characters will not be included. I'll let you know if I ever plan on changing that. Let me know what you think! For every comment, I'll post one chapter. I recently edited my existing chapters, so I have about eight written ahead of time. Constructive criticism is always appreciated. Don't be afraid to let me know when you catch a typo. So, without further ado, may I present _Chapter 1_. . . .**

My name is Mikayla. Mikayla van Pierce. I am fifteen, and I've lived in Las Vegas, Nevada with my parents and my older brother, Ethan, my whole life.

Until three years ago.

My mother forgot her phone at work, so my father agree to drive her late one night,. They left me home, promising to be home in a few minutes. They never made it back.

A rich, drunk tourist driving a yellow hummer and crashed into them on their way back to work. My parents' car flipped off the road and slid upside down, killing my father instantly and critically wounding my mother, who died alone in an ambulance an hour later.

After three hours, I grew worried, and turned on the local new. A picture of my dad's car and the damage done to it caused me to break down into tears and turn off the news. Ethan found me a half-hour later, sobbing on the floor.

Ever since, Ethan's taken care of me. Even if it means saving me from bullies, or pulling me from lockers. In my head, Ethan's my knight in shining leather, waiting to carry me off into the sunset on his steed of steel.

Sorry. Ethan says I have an overactive imagination.

Anyway, that's how I spent my last few days of school: dodging bullies.

"Hey, orphan!"

I grimace as I turn to see Mary Grace LaBush, a mean rich girl with a superiority complex. Her father's the local weatherman and because of it, she's certain she's going to get a job as an actress in Hollywood.

"What do you want, Mary?" I fold my arms over my chest.

"Where's my math homework?" Mary Grace starts to file her nails.

I swear I see my life flash before my eyes. "I stopped doing your homework in seventh grade, Mary. We're freshman now. You'll never make it in the movie biz bullying someone to do your homework."

"That's where you're wrong, freak," Mary sneers, her perfectly sculpted nose wrinkling in disgust, like someone put rotten fish up to her nose. "Because I'm actually somebody. And you . . . you're just a nobody who had her fifteen minutes of fame when her parents died."

Mary snaps her fingers and her two goons, Betsy and Missy, haul me into a nearby trash can. I can hear them laughing as I struggle to pull myself out of the trashcan.

I pick trash out of my hair as I make the walk of shame towards the bathroom. I stop to grab a spare change of clothes from my locker as I head towards the showers.

I let the water run over my head, washing out the smell and the memories. I change as quickly as I can in the locker rooms and hurry outside.

Ethan's motorcycle is parked on the sidewalk. My brother leans against it, the sleeves of his leather jacket pulled taut over his perfectly sculpted muscles. He looks up and smiles his heart-breaking smile, the smile that makes all of his college friends swoon, and I run into his awaiting arms.

Out of all the ways in the world to travel, Ethan's motorcycle is, by far, my favorite. Ethan spends most of his free time working on it, and I help him. It's my favorite past time.

I wore Ethan's leather jacket, and I had my arms wrapped around his waist. I pressed my cheek against his shoulder and watched the lazy world go by.

Ethan pulling into the driveway of our home, and I blinked at the truck in the driveway, which was painted bright pink and purple.

"Logan's here?" I asked, looking at Ethan.

"Yep," Ethan said, putting up the kickstand and helping me down. I'm not exactly short, but Ethan's 6' 2" makes my own 5' 4" feel tiny. "She flew in this morning. We actually have some exciting news."

I barely heard the last part. I practically flew into the house, slamming the front door and running full force into my brother's australian girlfriend, Logan.

Her brown hair and freckled face was a welcoming sight. She wrapped her arms around me in a much-needed hug.

"Hey, hop-a-long," she laughed, tugging on the braid my blonde hair was currently falling out of.

"You're here!" I cheered, hugging her again.

"I'm afraid I'm only here for a few days," Logan said. "I still have lots of planning to do for the wedding."

I blanched. "Wedding?" I pulled back and looked at Logan's left hand.

A silver band, with dozens of crystal flowers, adorned Logan's finger. A bright blue flower that appeared to be made of blue topaz, Logan's birthstone, was in the middle of a diamond flower, Ethan's birthstone.

"I'm getting married!" Logan practically shrieked with happiness.

I cheered, too. I already loved Logan, and she was already like a sister to me.

"Plus, we're moving out to Australia with Logan," Ethan said, walking up behind Logan and kissing her cheek.

"We are?" I asked.

"That's right, hop-a-long," Logan said, kissing the top of my head. "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!"

"Oy, oy, oy!" I answered, laughing.

Ethan and Logan walked away, hand in hand, talking about the wedding, and what they planned to do in Australia.

I turned away and grimaced. What was in Australia for me? Looking at the house, I saw bookshelves and vases covered in layers of dust, echoing the hurried whispers of _them_. My parents.

I knew. There was nothing for me in Las Vegas. If I stayed, there was only the pain of memories and sadness. If I left, I could have a chance at a fresh start. Away from the bullies that tormented me for three years. Get actual friends, that didn't just exist in my imagination or in books. Percy Jackson and the School for Good and Evil were pretty good to me when I first lost my parents, but sometimes, I was so lonely, it hurt.

In that moment, _that single moment_ , I knew. I was moving to Australia.


	2. Chapter 2: The Juice Bar

**Hey, guys!**

 **C.W. here. I wrote a few more chapters, so that makes eight that I'm waiting to give to you guys. Don't forget to comment! Here's Chapter 2! Hope you like it.**

As it turns out, the Gold Coast is a beautiful place to live. You can see the ocean from just about anywhere. Kids my age walk all over the city, and most of them seem to go to this cafe called the Juice Bar. I need to check that place out.

While we unpack anything we can, the furniture still hasn't arrived from the States yet, so I have some free time.

The new house is amazing; a four-story tudor home at least three times bigger than our old house in Vegas. The backyard is at least seven acres large, and there's a horse stable in the front of it, with two mares and a stallion.

"How did we afford all of this?" I ask Logan as we work in the stables.

"I have my ways," Logan says, carrying a barrel over her shoulder. "My father built this house with my older brothers for me and my future family. When he died, my brothers moved to the States, and left the house unfinished. Let's just say that this is an early wedding present."

I giggle, and I feel a nudge from behind me. Looking over my shoulder, one of the mares, a warm Chestnut brown I've started to call Cashew, looks longingly at a bale of hay.

"I think she's hungry," I tell Logan, and Logan nods.

"You know, I've had that horse for years, and she's never let anyone get that close to her," Logan crosses her arms. "She's yours, if you want to ride her."

"Really?" I squeal. "Oh, wait. I can't ride."

"We'll change that," Logan smiles, giving me a hug. "Now, shoo. Go hang out at the Juice Bar. Make some friends."

"All right," I say, brushing hay off of my shirt.

I run through the backyard, and out the gate into the world. The people here are so friendly, and I get so mesmerized by the shops and views that I get lost. I see a girl nearby with chin-length brown hair and honey-colored skin. She looks nice enough, but her clothes and attitude are radiating with a strong Come-near-me-and-you'll-regret-it vibe. Summoning my courage, I walk over to her.

"Excuse me," I ask. "Can you tell me how to get to the Juice Bar?"

The girl turns to face me. Her eyes are a warm brown with gold flecks in them. Her eyes should come with a warning label: Staring Directly At Eyes Can Cause Temporary Vertigo.

"Boy, are you going in the wrong direction," the girl laughed. "The name's Lexi. Lexi Levy. I'll show you where the Juice Bar is."

For a girl that looks entirely like a rebel, Lexi's voice seems too nice and sweet. "Mikayla van Pierce. It's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, too," Lexi smiled, her entire face brightening with her shining teeth. "How long have you been here?"

"What do you mean?" I ask, lengthening my strides to match her long ones.

"Your accent," Lexi says. "You're from the States, right? How long have you been here?"

"Few hours," I say as my phone buzzes in my pocket. I ignore it and rush after Lexi. How does a girl so short walk so fast?

"Well, van Pierce. Welcome to the Gold Coast."

The Juice Bar is only a few minutes from my house. I went in completely the wrong direction. Lexi directed me to the cafe, talking about cafe and all of the kids that I would meet there.

Inside the Juice Bar, it's decorated like any Starbucks in the states. The wallpaper shows off different pictures of sea life. A huge, wall-to-wall aquarium catches your attention at the far wall. Through the water, you can see the ocean and a huge island in the bay.

At the counter, a girl with waist-length brown hair leans over a drink, juggling a soccer ball on her foot.

"Hey, Chloe!" Lexi calls. The girl turns, missed her ball, and it flies into the head of a girl with wavy, auburn hair. The girl spills her juice down the front of her shirt, and turns to face Chloe, her face a mask of blind rage.

"Your stupid football made me ruin my shirt!" the girl shrieks.

"If you ask me, Paris, your shirt looks better now than it did before," Chloe snickers, holding the ball under her arm.

"Do you know how much my outfit cost?" Paris says, and leaves, threatening the brunette girl all the way out.

"Nice, Chlo'," Lexi snickers. "I haven't seen her that mad since your brother dumped her."

"Do you blame him?" Chloe says, a smirk playing across her face. She starts to juggle the soccer/football again. "Who's the newbie?"

"Mikayla," I say, looking over the menu of juices. "Mikayla van Pierce."

"Oh," Chloe says. "So you're the girl who moved into the house on the hill."

"Yeah," I say nervously. How did she know about the house?

"Good luck to ya," Chloe says, catching the ball. "Mary and Paris will be delighted to find someone new to sink their claws into."

"Yeah," Lexi adds. "If you think that Paris is bad, wait until you get a load of Mary."

Lexi and Chloe shudder in unison. Great. Another Mary to torture me.

"So, have you seen Mako yet?" Chloe asks. Lexi shoots her a look as I shake my head.

"Isn't Mako that island out in the bay?" I point over my shoulder at the aquarium that showed the volcanic island.

"Yup," Lexi says, stirring the straw in a juice that I didn't notice her order. "It's a jungle full of snakes and bugs and tarantulas, but the waterfall at the center is pretty amazing."

"Let me talk to my brother," Chloe says. "He can take us all tomorrow. It's a full moon."

"Sounds like fun," I say, smiling. We all take out our phones and share numbers, and I head home.

For the first time, in a long time, I feel truly happy.


	3. Chapter 3: Mako Island

**Hey, guys!**

 **Sorry for the wait. My little sister turned twelve this weekend and she had a sleepover with a bunch of her friends, so my life has been pretty hectic the past few days getting everything ready. But it was a pretty good party.**

 **Anyway, one of my friends is having a hard time at her new school. She's getting bullied and her new boyfriend dumped her because he found out that he's gay. I don't have anything against LGBT, but know what you're doing before entering a seriois relationship with someone. But this is for my friend, who needs courage in her life. Stay strong, Meg.**

 **\- C. W. -**

The next day, the sun rays streaming through my window wake me up. Along with severe jet lag, I'm pretty sure I'm coming down with a cold. Or maybe it's just allergies. It's probably allergies. In Vegas, the dry desert air gave me really bad asthma, along with allergies every time there was a slight breeze. My sinuses must be opening up to the humid air.

Speaking of humid air, my hair decided to annoy me and is trying to make me look like a blonde Q-tip. In Vegas, my curly hair was flat and frizzy. But here in Gold Coast, my hair is curling like crazy. I'll need to straighten it.

After my morning routine, I start to walk downstairs. However, Ethan and Logan were making out with each other on the sofa. Ethan started to take his shirt off when I briskly walk past them and start to head to the Juice Bar.

Even though it's early the in morning, the Juice Bar has a long line. I get in line to order a juice, and a boy gets in line behind me. He is seriously cute, with dark hair that has a gentle curl, and flops in just the right way. His eyes are cerulean blue, making me self-conscious about my own blue-green eyes. His tan skin radiates a certain feeling, like he knows exactly where he belongs in the world, and he's proud of it.

"Hey, you're Mikayla, aren't you?" the boy asks. I blanch, and I'm pretty sure my already-pale-skin turned three shades whiter.

"I'm Lucas," the boy says. "Chloe's my sister."

Realization tickles the back of my mind. Lucas has the same dark hair and tan skin as his sister.

"Good, you two have already met," Lexi says, sneaking up behind me. I shriek, and Chloe cackles from behind Lucas.

"You ready to go?" Chloe asks between laughs.

"Can I order a juice first?"

An hour and three juices later, Lucas rented a boat to take out to Mako.

"So," Lucas asks from behind the wheel. "Where are you from? I can't place your accent."

"The States," I answer, tying my hair back in a ponytail. The sea wind whips Lexi's hair into her face, and she curses as she almost flies off.

"I HATE BOATS!" Lexi screams. Chloe and I cackle as Lexi turns green with seasickness.

We stop laughing as the boat comes into the shadow of Mako Island. A gurgling sound comes from the motor and the boat shudders to a stop.

Lucas winds up the motor, and pulls it. The motor clanks for a second before stopping.

"The engine's flooded," Lucas says, wiping sweat off his forehead. "We'll have to paddle to the Island and see if we can get cell reception."

Lucas hands me an oar. I roll up the sleeves of my shirt and start to paddle along with Ethan. Lexi paddles with her hands until she sees a shark.

"Don't tell me you're afraid of sharks, Lex," I joke.

"I'm not," Lexi says. "I'm afraid of their teeth."

Lucas laughs and rolls up his sleeves, revealing powerful muscles. I tear my eyes away from his arms and focus on the approaching island. A sense of doom overwhelms me, like I'll never leave this island. I glance at Chloe, and her lips and presses in a tight line, her eyebrows furrowed in concentration. She feels it too.

We reach the island, and Lucas and I drag the boat on to the shore. Lexi takes out her phone and holds it up in the air. "There's no signal. We have to go to higher ground."

Lucas takes the lead, and he and I cut through the jungle on a faint path. I smack my arm and a mosquito dies, exploding with the blood of whatever it had eaten before it came towards me. I shudder, wiping blood from my arm. "Why did I agree to come with you again?"

"Just hold out for a few more minutes," Lucas says, smacking at more of the foliage. "The waterfall's up ahead, and that's at the highest elevation on the island, aside from the peak."

We walk in silence for a few minutes, and eventually, I hear the sound of trickling water. Up ahead, a waterfall spills over a bunch of sand-colored rocks. The rocks around it are the same color and are wet from the falls. Lucas steps onto one of the rocks, and jumps over a gap between the two rocks that is about four feet wide. I look down and see the gap tunnel into the earth.

Lexi and Chloe jump over the wet rock, and I take a step back to follow. I slip, and go sliding down into the tunnel. I hear Lucas shout my name, but I get to the bottom before he can reach me.

At the bottom, a giant cave awaits me. I try to stand up, and my ankle buckles in a burst of pain.

"Hang on, Mikayla!" Lucas shouts, and a second later, he comes sliding down.

He gets to his feet and offers me his hand. "Are you alright?"

I take his hand. "I think I sprained my ankle."

Lucas helps me up and puts my arm around his shoulders. I blush at our proximity.

A loud shout from above precedes Lexi and Chloe falling through the tunnel. They stand up and brush themselves off, looking at the cave.

"I told you to look for a rope or something!" Lucas shouts, pinching the bridge of his nose. I take my arm back and stumble against the wall. While the twins and Lexi continue to argue, I see a shadow in the wall.

Frowning, I stick my arm through the shadow, and realize that it's a door. Looking back at the arguing twins, I sneak through the door, and I end up in what I think is the volcano. The floor in front of me is a giant pool of water. Judging from the smell coming from it and the tidal rings around it, it's connected to the ocean.

"Hey, guys?" I call, and the arguing stops. "You really need to see this."

Lucas, Chloe, and Lexi come in through the door, and stand in awe at the pool.

"I think we're in the cone of the volcano," I say, kneeling at the edge of the wall. Rings of salt in the sand on the floor tell me that water hasn't flooded in a long time. "And the pool's salt water. It's connected to the ocean."

"So, in English . . ." Lexi says, rolling her eyes.

"There might be a way out." I say, taking off my shoes. "I'll be right back."

I took a step into the pool onto the visible step and dove in. The pool is about twenty feet deep, and a tunnel about five feet down leads out to open ocean. I swim up for air, and the sky is completely dark, the full moon almost at it's apex. I realize that we can see the full moon from the pool, and start to swim back.

"Wow," I say when I get back to the cave. I brush my wet bangs out of my eyes. "The sun's already set."

"So there is a way out," Lucas says, taking his shoes off.

"Yeah," I sit on the step. "Come on in, guys. The water's nice."

Lucas jumps in. "Woah! That's cold."

Lexi takes off her shoes and jumps in, followed by Chloe. The edge of the moon appears in the hole in the cone. The pool starts to bubble, and bubbles flow from the pool.

"(Insert Four-Letter-Word of Your Choice)!" Lucas shouts, backpedaling into the wall of the pool.

"That's weird," I say, swimming backwards.

"Spooky," Lexi and Chloe say in unison.

"Come on," Lucas interrupts. "I don't want to be here any longer than necessary."

I go under and swim out, Lexi and the twins following. We got to the ocean, and a spotlight shone in our faces.

"This is the Water Police," a voice shouts from a boat over a loudspeaker. "Please make your way to the ladder at the rear end of the vessel."

Lucas glances at me as he starts to swim with his sister and Lexi towards the back of the boat.

I look back at Mako, and at the full moon. Something's changed, and I can feel it. I don't know what's happened to us, but I don't think it'll be something that ends with a Happily Ever After. . . .


End file.
